Hurricane Headache

Just wanted to let everyone know that we are doing fine in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. Wednesday evening we found out that Chad was leaving Thursday morning with the Cougar football team heading to Dallas. Saturday's game was moved from Houston to Dallas in an attempt to escape the storm; however, in a weird twist of events it went right over them still at tropical storm force. I did not want to face Ike alone with just myself and Coleman so we left Thursday afternoon to come to Georgetown to stay with Chad's parents. It took about 7 hours but we made it without too much difficulty. From neighbors' reports and my dad's survey, our house looks fine - just a couple of fence slats that need to be replaced and our satellite dish needs to be repositioned. As of tonight, we still do not have electricity and water is low so we are hanging tight in Georgetown where we have all the comforts you could possibly want. My clinics are closed for the week as is Coleman's school. Really, all of our family (my parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins) is fine. Unfortunately, my Nanny and Papa's (my mom's parents) house got about 4 feet of water inside. Thankfully they had evacuated to San Antonio so were not harmed. Chad is still in Dallas with the team and not sure when he will return. They may end up flying to Colorado from Dallas to play Colorado State this Saturday. For now, we are in a holding pattern and hopefully can get home soon.

The GRANDness of Grandparents

Coleman's Fan Club (aka MeMe, Nana, Granddaddy, & Pa)

I have been sorting through some memorabilia my parents brought over from their storage shed (now that we have a house it is ours to store). It is a slow go as I have many pictures and scrapbooks and journals. I am saving some for Coleman to read - at least I think it will be a kick for him to get a glimpse at what I was like in junior high and high school. It is also great for me as I remember very little of my childhood and teen years. I am not sure why other than I had to learn so much in PA school that I let some old stuff slip away. One thing I did not forget (but am certainly reminded as I look at the photos) is how much a part of my life my grandparents have been. One of my biggest and loudest fans was my Nanny and she didn't miss too many of my games or events. As Chad and I find our grandparents dealing with health issues and facing the fact that they won't be with us forever, we are aware more than ever what a blessing it has been to have their love and support. It is such a special relationship that is difficult to put into words. When Coleman was born it was a priority for me that he have that kind of closeness with his grandparents. And indeed, we are twice blessed for he has 2 sets that love him dearly. I jokingly refer to him as the "Fresh Prince of Pearland" because he has been able to see and do more than most his age and many of the times this is thanks to his grandparents. For a twelve year old, I believe he does have a grasp on how lucky he is and really appreciates the time he gets to spend with them. There is no doubt he loves them dearly. As we headed to practice tonight Coleman asked "Is anyone coming to my game tomorrow?" I replied "Of course, I'll be there." He said "anyone besides you" (I do not take this personally because it is a given that mom will always be there and I knew he meant his grandparents so I had to give him a hard time). It is just that extra special something to have your grandparents be a part of what you do. It is just the grandness of grandparents.

A GRAND adventure - Coleman kayaking in the Tetons

Still A PA (at least for six more years)

Yesterday I finally got the email telling me my scores for the recertification exam were available. This was 4 days earlier than expected so I didn't know if that meant good or bad news. I had not been that nervous in quite a while as I logged into the website to find out how I did. As you can tell by the title of this post, I PASSED!! So this means I can work as a physician assistant for six more years. I have joked with Chad since the last test I took in 2002 that he has six years to make it big so I can retire. Well, now he has six more and I mean it this time! (Yeah, right.) So once again I score well but still don't feel like I know enough to do what I do. It is incredible that I have the responsibility of making decisions about people's health. I still get overwhelmed and humbled that they trust me. Many doctors and PAs I have worked with tell me that is exactly what makes me good at what I do. Six more years to shine!